Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, *Cultic Spiritualization: Religious Sacrifice in the Dead Sea Scrolls*. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2022. cover art

Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, *Cultic Spiritualization: Religious Sacrifice in the Dead Sea Scrolls*. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2022.

Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, *Cultic Spiritualization: Religious Sacrifice in the Dead Sea Scrolls*. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2022.

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Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, their material evidence and compelling content have fascinated both scholars and the general public. Regarded as one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century, the unearthed materials have shed light on and rejuvenated extensive areas of biblical scholarship. However, research into the material findings concerning religious sacrifice has been somewhat overlooked. In this analysis, Jamal-Dominique Hopkins delves into the life and archaeology of Qumran, as well as the valued perspectives on sacrifice found in the non-biblical sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls. Hopkins investigates the historical and ideological evolution of the Jewish priestly movement associated with the scrolls, primarily from the viewpoint of its later offshoot, the Qumran community. This comprehensive study of sacrifice within the Dead Sea Scrolls provides a historical reconstruction of this key community and its captivating narrative. Hopkins uncovers the evolution of a community from its pre-Qumranic to Qumranic phases, which opted to spiritualize the Jerusalem temple and its sacrificial rites. As a result of their displacement to the Qumran desert, due to the absence of the physical temple in Jerusalem, this wandering priestly group perceived itself as a 'temple.' Instead of performing actual animal sacrifices, they offered the fruits of their lips through prayer and praise as an alternative form of sacrifice. By separating from the larger community, this Qumran group transformed into an eschatological community engaged in the practice of cultic spiritualization.


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